Monday, March 17, 2008

Prostitute Daily Times

Screwing the people since 1852

“Labor Council Endorses City Center.” That’s the title of the article that appeared on the front page of the 15 March 2008Portsmouth Daily Times. Reading the article makes me realize why that newspaper deserves the nickname the Prostitute Daily Times. What is the message I take away from the article? That the Shawnee Labor Council is now in bed with the likes of Clayton Johnson, Neal Hatcher, and Mike Mearan.

The byline of the article does not name anyone in particular. It was put together by the “PDT Staff Report.” Why is nobody’s namelisted? Is it shame? Did nobody want to take credit, or I should say blame, for this shameless piece of promotion for Neal Hatcher and Clayton Johnson? The "PDT Staff" tells us the Shawnee Labor Council is behind converting the now infamous Marting building into a “City Center.” That is the new euphemism for municipal building: CityCenter. The voters already decided in a referendum in May 2006 by a better than two to one margin that they don’t want city offices in the Marting building. So our politicians declare they are moving city offices into the “CityCenter.” A toilet bowl is a toilet bowl even if you change the name of the toilet bowl to the Fountain of Youth.

Where are experienced and honest reporters when you need them, reporters willing to present both sides of a story, reporters willing to put their byline on a story, as Art Kuhn and Sam Piatt are apparently not willing to?

The two most experienced and respected reporters in Portsmouth, Mike Deaterla and Jeff Barron,were both fired by the Prostitute Times not too long ago. The last thing the SOGP wants are reporters who might present both sides of a controversial issue like the Marting building. Do you know what Jeff Barron got fired for? He dared to report that somebody who was arrested for dealing drugs worked at Glockner Motors. A call from one of the Glockners to the Prostitute Times was all it took to get Barron fired. How dare he mention Glockner Motors in an unflattering light. That’s the kind of control the Chamber of Commerce and the SOGP have over the Prostitute Times.That’s the kind of control they have over what news is fit to print in Portsmouth.

Deaterla was fired for no known reason. He probably knows where too many bodies are buried. It’s not safe having somebody with that kind of knowledge as a reporter, even if he has been the most professional and respected reporter in Portsmouth for over thirty years. He began as the Entertainment Editor of the Times back in 1978, helping the paper win awards from the Ohio Arts Council. PDT Editor Don R. Smith praised Deaterla back in the 1980s, saying “Mike is vital to our coverage. Few small newspapers have someone of his experience and ability.” Deaterla went on to become the best reporter on the Times and then the Community Common, covering every facet of the local community. But being a reporter for the Prostitute Daily Times is a hazardous occupation, as Jeff Barron discovered. As a Times reporter you can get fired for mentioning where someone dealing in drugs is employed, if that employer is partof the Portsmouth Mafia, which goes by the name SOGP. Or you can get fired for no apparent reason, as Deaterla was by the Prostitute Daily Times.

Here are a dozen important angles that were not covered in the PDT March 15 story, “LaborCouncilEndorsesCityCenter.”

1. The main Marting building is 125 years old. Mentioning that fact could get a reporter fired faster than saying a drug dealer worked at Glockner Motors

The above photo shows the main Marting's building, built in 1883, at 515 Chillicothe St. The building at the extreme right became part of Marting's as it expanded. Photo appears to be from the 1940s.

2. The Marting Building is actually three very old buildings that are hidden behind a 1950’s façade.

3. The Marting building has had more facelifts than Phyllis Diller, but the city is trying to pass the “CityCenter”"off as the architectural equivalent of Miss Portsmouth of 2008.

4. The Municipal Building, which politicians have been trying to get condemned for a quarter of a century, is actually only 75 years old, which is about the same age as the U.S. Post Office.

5. The sale of the Marting building to the city for $2 million dollars was ruled invalid by the courts for the underhanded illegal way in which the secret negotiations of the sale of the building were conducted by Clayton Johnson.

6. Outraged Portsmouth voters recalled Mayor Bauer and two members of the city council for their roles in the sale of the Marting building to the city for a wildly inflated price.

7. In a referendum in May 2006, thevoters soundly rejected the city’s plans to move city offices into the Marting by better than a 2 to 1 margin.

8. In a glaring conflict of interest, Mike Mearan, the chairman of the Building Committee, is the lawyer for the absentee landlord who owns the so-called Adelphia property, which the Building Committee advised the city to buy as a site for either or both city offices and the police station.

9. Mike Mearan once owned the “Adelphia property” and made a quick $95,000 by selling it to Dr. Singer.As Dr. Singer’s lawyer, he stands to make more on the property

10. The Ramada Inn has barely been able to survive economically, and yet we are supposed tobelieve that a new Hotel and Convention Center right across the street will be a fabulous success.

11. The real reason Hatcher is interested in the site of the MunicipalBuilding is the possibility that gambling will come to Portsmouth.

12. If gambling does not come to Portsmouth and the Hotel/Convention Center turns out to be a failure, Hatcher will not lose a dime, for he will work out a sweetheart deal with the city and the university, the same kind he worked out on the dormitories, a deal which guarantees that the taxpayers, not him, will be left holding the bag.

As usual, Hatcher, who tears down much more than he builds up, will be giving the public the finger in the Hotel/Convention Center Scam.

They tore down the N&W, a treasure of rail, To make way for a county jail!Why, they’d tear down the Taj MahalFor Hatcher to hatch a new mall.

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About Me

Retired now, I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, hold B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from Wesleyan U. (Conn.) and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale, where I was a Research Associate at the Institute for Social and Policy Studies and a coordinator of a committee that organized international American Studies conferences during the American Bicentennial. From 1989-2006, I taught English at Shawnee State U., in Portsmouth, Ohio, where I was active in the faculty union, the Shawnee Education Association, serving four terms as president. I also served as faculty advisor to the student gay and lesbian group. I have served also as president of the Concerned Citizens of Portmouth and Scioto County, a community action group.
My scholarly interests have focused on the American Dream: the Myth and the Realities.
I can be reached at rforr1@roadrunner.com
A selection of my poems can be found at http://xpalidosis.blogspot.com The original contents of all blogs on this site are copyrighted @.